Wrinkle-free without an Iron

I own a clothes iron. It’s a pretty fancy one, too, a gift from a relative when my wife and I were married a few years ago. We have never used it. It sits in its box, on a shelf in the closet, taking up just enough space to annoy me, but not so much space that I toss it or give it away.

I never use it, because I learned, years ago, to remove my clothes from the dryer the instant the buzzer sounds. Left in the dryer for more than a few minutes, the clothes start to cool and wrinkles form. But quick removal from the dryer isn’t the only trick on the block when it comes to keeping your shirts and pants looking their best.

Apartment Therapy has a few suggestions, the most interesting being to add a cup of dry white vinegar to the washer’s rinse water. “Don’t worry, it won’t leave a smell,” they promise. They also repeat an interesting tip I have seen around the Internet but not tried: “Tennis balls or dryer balls help your stuff dry faster and avoid getting wrinkled by moving the air around.”

A few more tips can be found at Lifehacker, where post author, Eric Ravenscraft, says, “Ironing is barbaric.” I could not agree more, Eric. This is the Space Age! Where is my wrinkle-free jumpsuit?

Finally, Tipnut.com offers this formula: 1 teaspoon of liquid fabric softener mixed with 1 cup of water, mixed in a fine mist spray bottle. “Use as you would with a commercial product, spray generously on clothing then tug and pull item to smooth. Hang or lay flat to dry (overnight).”

Still, even with these great tips, that fancy iron will be stuck in that closet for years to come.

2 Responses to "Wrinkle-free without an Iron"

Shocking! You have an iron and have never used it? This is Hack-A-Day, is it not? A clothes iron is very useful, but I have NEVER used it to iron clothes! In Boy Scouts they told us we could “iron” our uniforms by putting them under the sleeping bag at night. As much as I move around at night, I figured that would never work.